The Golden State Warriors are officially cooking. Sure, it’s only the first round of the playoffs, and yes, better teams await should the dubs advance. But a second dominant win over the Denver Nuggets, this time 126-106, makes it look like the Warriors are serious contenders for lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in two months’ time.
It’s a 2-0 lead in the series. So let’s rank the players based on their excellent team performance, weighting our expectations for each one.
Note: The league average true shooting percentage this season was 56.6%.
Draymond Green
30 mins, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 2-on-5 shoots, 1-on-3 3-pointers, 1-on-2 free throws, 51, 0% TS, +20
If you look at the box score, it wasn’t Green’s most exciting game. But looking at the box score is rarely the way to judge Draymond, and Steve Kerr made that abundantly clear after the game.
Steve Kerr on Draymond’s impact: “You don’t look at the stat sheet because it just doesn’t say anything. Draymond dominated that game.”
— Golden State of Mind (@unstoppablebaby) April 19, 2022
That really sums it up perfectly. Green’s fingerprints were all over that game, even if they weren’t all over the stat sheet. He was the main defensive role for Nikola Jokić, who looked frustrated all night and eventually got ejected.
This version of Dray is very close to the 2014-15 and 2015-16 version and that is one of the best basketball players in the world.
Rating: A+
Andrew Wiggins
31 mins, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5 on 9 shooting, 2 on 3 trebles, 1 on 3 free throws, 63.0% TS, +24
For the first two games of the playoffs, Wiggins found his role and played it perfectly. Gone are the isolations and ball stops of competitive long twos. He spreads the ground and shoots threes when open. He cuts to the brim when he doesn’t have the ball. He plays a strong defense. And perhaps most importantly, he puts his full effort into reducing rebounds.
Steve Kerr praised Andrew Wiggins’ rebound: “That’s the biggest concern when we play against this small unit is the glass and I thought Wiggs did a really great job.”
— Golden State of Mind (@unstoppablebaby) April 19, 2022
The new death lineup is playing unstoppable basketball, and that’s in part due to Wiggins’ dedication to doing the little things and his willingness to be fourth option on offense.
Grade: A-
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Kevin Looney
11 mins, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 0-for-2 shooting, 0.0% TS, +2
It’s pretty clear that we won’t be seeing much of Looney in this series. It’s not a hit on him, just a sign that the dubs have figured out their little ball lineup. They could start that on Thursday or continue playing Looney in the opening minutes of each half.
Class: C
Clay Thompson
36 mins, 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 fouls, 9-on-19 shooting, 3-on-8 threes, 55.3% TS, +13
One of the best things Klay is doing right now is providing excitement. Even if he has games where his efficiency is only average, he probably has a span of a few minutes where he lands on scorched earth, turning a deficit into a lead or a small lead into a big lead. And those moments really get the Warriors and their fans going and demoralize the opponent and their fan base.
In this he caught fire for a while and you could feel the wind leaving the Nuggets sails.
Grade B
Jordan Poole
34 mins, 29 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 10-on-16 shooting, 5-on-10 3-pointers, 4-on-4 free throws, 81, 6% TS, +7
Poole’s performance was magical, but rather than trying to describe for the umpteenth time how great it was, I’ll just drop this thought I had during the post-game press.
I don’t envy Steve Kerr for having to figure out the starting lineup, but I will say, listening to the Warriors’ core conversations…there isn’t a part of them that cares about veterans or players who have “earned their spurs.” It’s perfectly clear that they see Poole as a star.
— Brady Thumper (@BradyKlopferNBA) April 19, 2022
Listening to Steph Curry and Draymond Green talk about Poole, it’s clear they have absolute faith in him and believe he needs to keep his feet on the ground. He’s ready for the moment, he’s longing for the moment, and he’s become a star.
It’s hard to see the Warriors keeping him off the pitch. Now let’s see some unreal highlights.
Rating: A+
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in assists.
Nemanja Bjelica
16 mins, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 5-on-6 shooting, 0-on-1 threes, 83.3% TS, +3
Bjeli didn’t have the gaudy assist total that he sometimes does, but this was a very strong game for him. He helped frustrate Jokić and DeMarcus Cousins and was an aggressive goalscorer with some excellent cuts. The offensive worked very well for him on the pitch, defensively he asserted himself.
Grade: B+
Jonathan Kuminga
5 minutes, 0 points, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -3
I was curious if Kuminga might get a few minutes out with Andre Iguodala, but no, just trash time. I suspect it will stay that way until the Warriors have problems and Steve Kerr has to try and mess things up. Kuminga will likely be the first name off the bench when that happens.
Note: Incomplete
Post-Game Bonus: Tie for the worst plus/minus in the team.
Otto Porter Jr.
22 mins, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1-on-5 shooting, 1-on-4 three-pointers, 30.0% TS, +4
Watching Porter play a big part in this game only made me think of one thing: how lucky he must be that he took a slightly smaller paycheck to play with the dubs.
That decision sure looks good now as he’s a huge bench piece for a team that looks like serious title contenders. And while his shot doesn’t come off, he’s playing really good basketball at the moment and is crucial to what the team is doing on both ends of the court.
Grade B
Juan Toscano Anderson
5 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1v1 shooting, 1v2 free throws, 79.8% TS, -3
Trash time for JTA, but he certainly spent it filling up the stat sheet!
Note: Incomplete
Post-Game Bonus: Tie for the worst plus/minus in the team.
Stephen Curry
23 mins, 34 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 12 on 17 shooting, 5 on 10 trebles, 5 on 7 free throws, 84.7% TS, +32
As Draymond Green sat down for his post-game press, he looked at the stat sheet, saw Steph Curry’s line and plus/minus, and exclaimed, “Jesus!” That’s what I cried out after that play too.
I have no words for the performance Curry put on in his second game in the last month while still struggling with pain in his foot.
He did half of his triples. He made all of his shots inside the arc. His team surpassed their opponents by 34 points in 23 minutes. The only flaw was two missed technical free throws, which led to some funny odds.
Steph Curry missed two technical free throws. Jordan Poole led the league in FT% that year. Is it Poole’s turn to take her on?
Poole: “No comment.”
Kerr: “They have to find out.”
Curry: “Never. Never.”
— Brady Thumper (@BradyKlopferNBA) April 19, 2022
He’s clearly still as good as anyone on the planet, and when he’s playing full minutes again? Attention world.
Rating: A+
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in points and plus/minus.
Damion Lee
5 minutes, 4 points, 1v2 shooting, 0v1 three-pointers, 2v2 free throws, 69.4% TS, -3
Trash time for Lee and always fun to see him take a few shots.
Note: Incomplete
Post-Game Bonus: Tie for the worst plus/minus in the team.
Gary Payton II
18 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 0-1 shoot, 3-4 free throws, 54.4% TS, +7
GPII made his presence felt on the defensive end and definitely got under Jokić’s skin as he blocked the MVP’s shot and then, when he called a time-out, smacked him on the butt, causing quite a reaction.
I never cease to be amazed at how great Payton’s defense is at bigs. He knows exactly how to provide the perfect nuisance defense.
Grade: B+
Moses Moody
5 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 0-for-1 shooting, 0.0% TS, -3
It’s always a good sign when your Garbage Time players are the only ones with a negative plus/minus.
Note: Incomplete
Post-Game Bonus: Tie for the worst plus/minus in the team.
Inactive on Monday: Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman